Drought begins to affect C. Java

Drought begins to affect C. Java

DEMAK, Central Java: Drought-like conditions have been reported
in Demak regency, Central Java in the past few weeks, sparking
fear of an imminent harvest failure.

Sutikno, a farmer in Waru subdistrict here, said he had hoped
to harvest his rice next month, but without rain, he would suffer
harvest failure. While Sutikno was desperately waiting for rain,
other farmers have already decided to replace their rice crops
with secondary crops, normally planted during the dry season.

Chief of Central Java's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency
(BMG) in Semarang, Widada Sulistya, said that drought-like
conditions began in eastern parts of Central Java in April and it
would begin to affect the entire province by June. -- JP